The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has confirmed that it is probing the transfer of 28’s prison gang leader, George "Geweld" Thomas.
This comes as the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition had alerted
the Minister of Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, of the notorious
gangster’stransfer following a report by Netwerk24, last week. According to the
report, Geweld had secretly been moved from Embogweni Prison in Kokstad in
KwaZulu-Natal, to Helderstroom Prison, in Caledon, Western Cape.
Thomas was sentenced to seven life terms, and would serve
175 years behind bars. He was given a life term for each murder he had been
convicted of and faced 52 charges. The murders include state witnesses during
the course of the trial.
"The Department of Correctional Services swiftly
redirected the prisoner to an alternative maximum-security facility. The
department will also urgently investigate the matter thoroughly to identify the
reasons for the prisoner’s irregular movement," said Minister of Correctional
Services, Pieter Groenewald.
The move had sparked serious concerns of a flare-up of
already uncontrollable gang violence across the Cape.
Thomas has been moved to the Kgosi Mampuru Maximum Prison.
The Minister met with the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition on
Tuesday to address concerns and discuss possible interventions to reduce the
presence of criminal elements in communities plagued by gang-related violence.
‘’We met with him to thank him for the speedy response. He
also assured us that there is an investigation underway to find out how this
came about. We also raised other issues such as parole, and how it is dealt
with in the system currently. We are very happy with the outcome of the meeting
and the commitment of the minister that he will continue to engage with
community representatives on issues of correctional services,’’ said Llewellyn
MacMaster, Cape Crime Crisis Coalition.
Done By: Mitchum George
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